Exploring the Bible

Did Archaeology Find Jericho?   If you grew up in Sunday School, there is a good chance you can hear the song in your head right now: “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down!” It’s one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible. The Israelites cross the Jordan, circle the city for seven days, blow the trumpets, and shout. The massive fortifications of the city collapse flat, allowing God’s people to charge straight in. But for a long time, Jericho was the favorite target of skeptics. In the 1950s, a famous excavation led by Kathleen Kenyon concluded that while Jericho was an ancient city, it was abandoned and had no walls during the time of Joshua (around 1400 B.C.). For decades, this was taught in universities as "proof" that the Bible was historically inaccurate—a nice story, but not history. But as we discussed in our last post, archaeology is a discipline that is constantly updating itself. And when a new pair of eyes looked at t...

Who is the Bride of Christ?   If you browse the fiction aisle at a bookstore or scroll through sensational documentaries on History Channel late at night, you are almost guaranteed to run into a specific theory. The theory goes something like this: Jesus of Nazareth wasn't just a traveling rabbi; He was a husband. He was married to Mary Magdalene, they had children, and the church has been covering up this secret bloodline for 2,000 years to protect its power. It makes for a thrilling movie plot (it was the central hook of The Da Vinci Code ). It sells millions of books. But when we step out of the movie theater and into the world of serious history and biblical truth, does this theory hold any water? The short answer is: No. The long answer is a beautiful reminder of who Jesus actually is and why He came. Let’s look at why we can be confident that Jesus lived a single, celibate life dedicated entirely to His mission. The primary evidence that Jesus was not married ...

 Unmasking the Author of Revelation If you have ever tried to read the Book of Revelation, you know it is a wild ride. It is filled with dragons, multi-headed beasts, falling stars, and glorious throne rooms. It is the dramatic finale of the entire Bible. But who held the pen? The book opens with a simple introduction: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ... to his servant John” (Revelation 1:1). For most of church history, Christians have believed this was John the Apostle—the brother of James, the son of Zebedee, and the "disciple whom Jesus loved." However, if you open a modern study Bible or watch a documentary, you might hear a different theory. Scholars often suggest it was a different man, sometimes called "John the Elder" or "John of Patmos," who had no relation to the original twelve disciples. They claim the writing style is too different from the Gospel of John to be the same person. Is this true? Or can we trust the tradition that the m...

 The True Black Friday   Is it possible, with the data available to us, to calculate the exact date of the crucifixion of Jesus? Here is what we know from scripture. Jesus was crucified during the tenure of Pontius Pilate. From the historical records, we know Pilate was in the position of procurator from 26 A.D. to 36 A.D. We also know that Jesus’ crucifixion coincided with Passover since the Last Supper was a Passover Meal held just before Jesus was arrested. Passover always begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which falls on the first full moon after the spring equinox. We also know Jesus was crucified on a Friday because the officials wanted His body removed before the next day, because it was the sabbath (Saturday). These are the details we have concerning the timing of the crucifixion. Broadly speaking, it occurred on a Friday between the years of 26 A.D. and 36 A.D.   However, using historical data, it is possible to determine when each Passove...

  The oldest artifact to mention Jesus by name. There is an artifact dated to the first century A.D. that many believe mentions Jesus by name. The artifact is a ceramic bowl or Careened cup that, aside from a missing handle, is in excellent condition. The remarkably well-preserved artifact was discovered in 2008 by a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). The team was led by Frank Goddio as they worked near the now-submerged islands of Antirhodos. This site is located in the harbor of the Egyptian city of Alexandria and is historically linked to the palace, and some speculate that it is the tomb of Queen Cleopatra. The extraordinary thing about this cup is the inscription upon it. Most scholars now believe the cup itself was manufactured and fired in Western Asia Minor sometime in the first century B.C. At a later time, the cup was inscribed. The inscription is believed to have come from the first half of the first century A.D., with many scholars pl...

 Why December 25 th   The Bible does not tell us the exact date of Jesus’ birth, so there is no way to know from scripture when Jesus was actually born. So, if the Bible is silent on the subject, how was it determined that Christmas, Jesus’ birthday, was on December 25 th ? There are two competing theories for how and why this date was selected. Some historians claim that December 25 was selected because that date was already a pagan holiday. In the Roman culture, December 25 th was the winter solstice, the date of the Sol Invictus festival. The thought goes that this would make it easier for some Pagans to convert to Christianity by absorbing the current religious festival into a new Christian festival. This seems a little far-fetched, as many in the early church wanted to distance themselves from pagan festivals and traditions. This theory is very popular with those who oppose Christianity. The second theory proposed is based on when Jesus died and, thus, when he was ...

In the Gospel of John, he writes about the burial place, the tomb, of Jesus. John records that it was a carved tomb that had never been used and was located in a garden. “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”   John 19:41 Now, almost two thousand years later, researchers have discovered evidence that supports the accuracy of the Gospel story. With the rare opportunity to excavate beneath the floors of the ‘ Church of the Holy Sepulchre’ , archaeologists have made a rather startling discovery. Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla led the team of researchers. The team was allowed to excavate materials from deep beneath the church's current floor. The archaeobotanical analysis found a large number of preserved seeds and pollen from Olive trees and grapevines. Not only were seeds and pollens found, but the researchers also found that small dividing walls had been constructed and dirt hauled in t...